A typical cotton harvester includes two or more harvesting units for harvesting cotton from rows of cotton plants during a harvesting procedure. Each harvesting unit includes a rotatable harvesting mechanism comprised of multiple inter-related and lubricated parts. A typical harvesting unit includes a pair of picker rotor assemblies with doffer assemblies arranged in combination therewith. Each picker rotor assembly includes a series of picker bars which oscillate about individual upright axes. Each picker bar has a plurality of rotatably driven picker spindles arranged thereon one above the other. A driving arrangement within the harvesting unit transmits rotary motion from an input drive shaft to the picker rotor assemblies to drive the picker bars along a predetermined path of travel while concurrently rotating the picker spindles.
As is conventional, lubricant between interrelated parts of the harvesting unit reduces friction and wear of the operating mechanisms. To inhibit premature wear and possible failure of the component parts of the operating mechanisms, therefore, lubrication of the harvesting units is scheduled on a regular basis. The number of areas on each harvesting unit requiring lubricant coupled with limited operator accessibility to such areas causes lubrication of the harvesting units to be a time consuming and laborious effort. Such effort is further intensified when up to five harvesting units on a single harvester require lubrication during each lubrication cycle.
During a harvesting procedure, the operator has many and varied concerns relating to overall operation of the harvester. Lubricant is exhausted from the harvesting mechanism during the harvesting procedure. As will be appreciated, therefore, the quantity or amount of lubricant provided to the various mechanisms during a lubrication cycle will substantially determine the duration or how many consecutive operative cycles can be accomplished before lubrication of the component parts of the harvesting unit is required.
Even the most experienced harvester operators find it difficult to accurately measure the remaining harvesting units operating or harvesting time before the next lubrication cycle is scheduled for the harvesting mechanisms. Misjudgments are often costly and expensive.
Proper lubrication of the various component parts of each harvesting unit is further complicated in that the harvesting mechanisms on the harvesting units are typically intermittently operated in varying work cycles during a harvesting procedure. As will be appreciated, harvesters operating under different crop conditions require different lubricant procedures. As will be appreciated, under ideal or good harvesting conditions, the harvesting mechanisms may be continuously operated during the day. In less than ideal conditions, however, the harvesting mechanisms may be intermittently operated during the day. Of course, a harvester having harvesting mechanisms operated under a 100% duty cycle during harvesting operations will require more lubricant than a harvester wherein the harvesting units were operated under a 50% duty cycle during the operational cycle of the harvesting units. Moreover, the provision of too much lubricant in certain areas of the harvester can contaminate the spindles and harvested cotton. On the other hand, too little lubricant can reduce the life of relatively expensive components and increase downtime for the harvester.
Thus, there is a need and a desire for a lubrication system which reduces the time and effort required to properly and accurately lubricate the harvesting units of a cotton harvester while providing an indication of the harvesting mechanism operating time remaining before the next lubrication cycle is required for the harvesting units.